In My Ears #4 – Rival Consoles, Lorde & Sabbath

Plus: the awkwardness of being British

This week, the affliction of awkward British sensibility struck again. Having interviewed Joe Lally last month over the phone, it would have been perfectly normal to wander over and say hello at his show. After all, he’s one of my musical heroes, and we already went some way to establishing a rapport.

You can probably see where this is going.

As he walked past my friend and I, Fender bass in hand, I just couldn’t do it. I’ve never understood how people pluck up the courage to strut up to celebrities or artists they see in public and ask for a selfie. It’s always seemed so intrusive to me, a level of parasocial awkwardness that I’d rather do almost anything else than partake in.

I doubt there will be an opportunity to meet him again, but my un-intrusive English self was happy to just stand a few metres back, watching his brilliant band perform, and leave it at that.

For those of you reading In My Ears for the first time, welcome! Each week I chat through the records I’ve been checking out – some of them new , others old and sometimes obscure. This is a series for paid subscribers, but I also publish a free post for all subscribers every Tuesday.

If you fancy listening along whilst reading, I update the Spotify and Apple Music playlist every week (scroll to the bottom to find the links).

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Rival Consoles – Landscape From Memory (2025)

I have a lot of respect for Ryan Lee West. His 2018 record Persona is still one of the most compelling electronic records I’ve heard in the past decade, losing none of its power over my countless listens since its release. This new record comes after a relative period of hiatus, following up his last solo album in 2022. Having spent quite a lot of the week digesting these 14 tracks, Landscape From Memory feels to me like a much more incidental record than I was expecting from an artist who more often than not swings for the fences. A lot of what’s here is pleasant, and nice; but as will be obvious by the emphasis, this is a case of intentionally damning with faint praise.

Taste test:

🟢 ‘In Reverse’ – a track which wouldn’t be out of place amongst the Four Tet output of the past few years.

🟢 ‘Coda’ – a reminder of how skilled a producer West is, as deep percussion cuts through airy pads and rumbling bass.

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The Messthetics – The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis (2024)

As referred to in the opening paragraphs, this week’s Messthetics gig at London’s Cafe OTO had me spinning this brilliant record before and after. What I love about this dance of jazz fusion is that it so clearly encapsulates the DNA of Lally and Canty – their legendary post hardcore backline offers up something completely different from the majority of fusion projects, keeping hold of the breathless intensity which propelled the greatest Fugazi tracks. Guitarist Anthony Pirog and saxophonist James Brandon Lewis are practically prodigious, too, weaving their dense improvisational lines across irresistible grooves.

Taste test:

🟢 ‘Emergence’ – listen to that opening riff and tell me it isn’t a lost Fugazi track.

🟢 ‘Boatly’ – proof they can dial it down and still kill it, this lilting song spotlights some lovely interplay between all four players, completing with a spirited finale.

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Lorde – Virgin (2025)